Conveying means



E. R. ALLING CONVEYING MEANS Aug. 10, 1937.

Filed April 15, 1935 nl H-IIN Il Patented Aug. 10, 1937 rar PATENT GFFSE My invention relates in general to conveyors, vided with a channel-shaped track l for the and more particularly to that type of conveyor guidance of the conveyor chain l2 and the usual used to carry cans, cases, bottles, or packages of support I3 arranged at each side of the channelmerchandise. shaped track. The usual guide rails Hi are also It is well known to those skilled in the art that shown. 5 in conveying machinery of this class the upper It will be clear that my invention is only appass of the conveyor chain is extended over suitplicable and valuable in installations where able tracks forming a conveyor table and around the conveyor table is so formed that the direct the path in which it is desired to convey the obdistance across the table between the loading end jects. The lower pass of the chain is then reand the discharge end is less than the distance 10 turned to the start of its load-carrying position between these ends when measured on the workby being passed over substantially the saine ing face of the table. course through which it has been passed in its As hereinbefore stated, the conveying appa- Mad-Carrying leVe- When the Conveyor table ratus shown in the drawing is merely illustrative is formed with curves or bends in its working of many types of such apparatus to which my 15 face, this practice not only requires twice as much invention may be applied. In the form shown, chain as is in active service but also requires conrepresents the loading end of the conveyor, and siderable additional power to operate the chain. 2i the unloading end thereof. This conveyor @ne 0f the DIHCPM GbleCtS Of my invention is shown broken and may continue for many feet has been t0' DTOVCe CODVeying means so conin a straight direction or have any number of structed that in installations where the conveyor turns, as is well known. A single return bend 20 table is provided with curves the conveyor chain 22 is shown, The apparatus is provided with may be passed directly from the discharging or the customary head sprocket 25 over which the unloading end of aeenveyor table to the charechain l2 passes, and by which it is propelled.

25 ing or loading end thereof which in such instal- This sprocket may be driven by spur gears 2E 25 lations is a shorter distance than the length of and 27 through the medium of a shaft 28 and the Working face of the table, thusl using only a sprocket chain 29. The sprocket chain connects Single upper pass 0f the Chain in Order t0 perform a suitable sprocket wheel 30 carried by the shaft the entire conveying functions. 28, with a` sprocket wheel 3| carried by the shaft Other ODJ'eC-S 0f my invention have been yto 32 of a well known type of gear reduction unit 30 greatly reduce the number ef parte necessary for 33. The driving motor is represented at 34.

COnVeyng ObjeCtS any given length, and also to The chain l2 employed in the carrying out of simplify the installation, operation, and maintemy invention may be of a number of diierent nance of conveying means and thus reduce the types, In Fig, 4 I show a ball and socket type COS Of mallllftllling and the IJOWel DeCeSSaly t0 link which is capable of universal movement as operate the same. well as of twisting or semi-rotational movement.

In the accompanying drawing7 I have shown In Figs. 5 and 6 I show a type of chain, the links one form of appiai'flls and WO Jypes of chain, Se of which are connected by means of universal whereby my invention may be carried out, it bejoints 4l. In this type of chain either side may 40 ine Obvious that these are merely illustrated` be used es the load-conveying surface and, thereforms. In the drawing: fore, it is not necessary, in the carrying out of 40 Fig. 1 is a plan view of a conveyor. my method to be able to twist this chain. Fig. 2 iS a fragmentary, sectional, side elevation As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, after the chain I2 thereof. has engaged the head sprocket 25 it is passed Fig. 3 is an enlarged, sectional View of one of under the load-carrying path of the chain for a 45 the safety plates of my device and is taken on line short distance and then is conducted upwardly 3-3 of Fig. l. and across to the load-carrying end 20 of the Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation `showing conveyor table where it is again put into servone type of chain being used. ice. As shown in the drawing, a guide 42 is ern- Fig. 5 is a similar view showing another type ployed for supporting and guiding this portion 50 of chain. of the chain as it is returned to the loading end Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan View showing the of the conveyor table. This guide may be in type of chain illustrated in Fig. 5. the form of a tube as shown or it may be in the As shown in the drawing, i6 represents the form of a trough (not shown). The lower end conveyor table of the usual type which is proof the guide is connected to the table structure 55 17d chain is conducted in such inverted position and fed along in the chain-carrying path at the beginning of the load-carrying travel. Where, however, both sides of the chain cannot be used as a load-supporting surface, as is the case in a ball and socket type link as shown in Fig. 4, it is necessary that the chain be given a twist so as to bring the load-supporting surface thereof, from a reversed position (which it assumes as a result of its passage over the head sprocket 25) to its normal load-carrying position. This twist in the chain is maintained only during its passage through the guide 42. Where such a chain as shown in Fig. 4 is employed, it is desirable that suitable hold-down o-r retaining means to be employed, such as, for instance, a safety plate l5 carried at each end of the guide or at the place where the twist starts and where it is finished. Each of these plates, as clearly shown by the enlarged View in Fig. 3, is mounted upon two bolts :l5 which pass` through the plate and through the support 41 or 48. Suitable spacers G9 are placed about the bolts and are arranged between the bottom of each plate and the top of the support, whereby the plate will be held in spaced relation with the support and will permit the free passage of the chain thereunder. Suitable helical springs 5d are placed about the lower enrds of the bolts where a washer 5I and nut 52 is provided. The plates are thus yieldably held against the spacers la so that should the chain, for any reason, become caught or jammed underneath the plate, they plate will move upwardly against the tension of the springs and thus allow the chain to pass without any damage to the mechanism. The chain in passing from the lower return level to the upper conveying level will naturally assume its correct position, owing to the weight of the chain, and will be in correct conveying position when it reaches the beginning of its load-carrying travel. The safetyV plates are provided merely as auxiliary means to insure that the chain will be kept in its proper position. While I have shown a guide 42 for supporting the twisted portion of the chain, obviously, such a guide, or a trough is not essential since this portion of the chain can be freely suspended between the two supports @l and 18.

When the chain of my invention is assembled, it is given an initial twist of 180 and the ends are then fastened together. After the chain is given such initial twist, the twist will be maintained in the chain and will be conned between the supports 41 and i8 as it is being moved through its course of travel.

extending substantially the length of the working` face of the table and. a return passl extending across the table substantially from the discharge end to the loading end, track means carried by the table for supporting the load-carrying pass of the chain, safety plates carried Yby the table and arranged oneat each end of the return pass of the chain, and means for resiliently holding each of said plates in position for maintaining the. chain in desired predetermined position.

2. Conveying means, comprising a conveyor table, having a loading end and a discharge end, said table being so formed that the shortest distance between the loading end and the discharge end is less than the length of the Working face of the table, a conveyor chain having a substantially flat load-carrying surface and being so arranged as to provide a load-carrying pass extending substantially the length of the working face of the table and a return pass extending across the table substantially from the discharge Y end to the loading end, track means carried by the table for supporting the load-carrying pass of the chain, a guide carried by the table for supporting the return pass of the chain, safety plates carried by the table and arranged one at each end of the guide for maintaining the chain in desired predetermined positions, and resilient means for holding the plates in position.

3. Conveying means, comprising a conveyor table, having a load end and a discharge end, said table being so formed that the shortest distance between the loading end andthe discharge end is less than the. length of the working face of Y the table, a conveyor chain having a substantially flat load-carrying surface and being so arranged as to provide a load-carrying pass extending substantially the length of the working face of the. table and a return pass extending across. the tablesubstantially from the discharge end to the loading end, said return pass being twisted so as to bring and maintain the load-carrying surface uppermost at each end of the table, track means carried by the table for supporting the loadcarrying pass of the chain, and retaining means carried by the table and arranged at each end of the return pass of the chain, said retaining means being engageable with two opposite sides of the chain for maintaining the axial twist of such return pass.

E. ROY ALLING. 

